Existing in eight different versions, Robert Delaunay's "Les Coureurs" is a captivating oil on canvas painted in 1924 for the Olympic Games in Paris, testifying to the artistic creativity and innovation of Orphism, a movement of which the artist was a pioneer alongside his wife Sonia.

Like the painting "L'équipe de Cardiff", this painting is a perfect example of how Delaunay used art and the theme of sport to capture the modernity of his era, characterized by the craze for progress and speed in urban life.

At the heart of the painting, a group of five athletes is depicted running around a bend on an athletics track. The scene unfolds in front of the empty stands of a stadium, creating a strange atmosphere where the excitement of sport blends with solitude. Delaunay uses vibrant colors and geometric shapes to bring this composition to life, reflecting the energy and movement of the athletes.

A fact as surprising as it is fascinating, it was announced in 2023 that a female portrait probably created by Delaunay was discovered on the reverse of the canvas during the restoration of the work begun in 2019. Vertical in format, unlike "Les Coureurs", it depicts Bella Chagall, the wife of the famous painter Marc Chagall.
While the friendship between the two couples, the Delaunays and the Chagalls, is well known, this unexpected find raises intriguing questions for Art historians, researchers and restorers, opening new perspectives on Robert Delaunay's life and artistic influences.